


Project Libra

by Gamma_siblings



Series: Hulkfam [1]
Category: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Marvel Cinematic Universe, She-Hulk, The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Incredible Hulk (Comics)
Genre: Brian Banner's A+ Parenting, Canonical Character Death, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Gen, Gun Violence, Hurt Bruce Banner, Hurt Jennifer Walters, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Bruce Banner, Kid Jennifer Walters, M/M, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Bruce Banner, Protective Jennifer Walters, Team Bonding, sibling dynamics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:34:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26617528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamma_siblings/pseuds/Gamma_siblings
Summary: In attempt to save Jennifer Walters’s life Bruce Banner injects her with his blood transforming her into a Hulk-like being. Once dark forces discover the power of Bruce’s blood a hunt for power begins.***********************This fic is pretty compliant to the main MCU storyline (Endgame and prior), it also has pieces from the comics woven in, and some of my own ideas. This is more or less how I would write the She-Hulk series in order to bring the character into the main part of the MCU.
Relationships: Brian Banner & Bruce Banner, Bruce Banner & Jennifer Walters, Bruce Banner/ Betty Ross (past), Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov (past), Patricia Walker/Jennifer Walters
Series: Hulkfam [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936609
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, this is the first official piece I've written on this website. I hope you enjoy. I'll probably come back and edit this chapter later as I'm in a rush to post this before class. Also, the following chapters will be much much longer.

January 23, 1980  
Bruce's POV

Bruce Banner didn't see the big deal his Aunt Susan was making about his new cousin. People had babies all the time and it wasn't like they were going to be close in ages. He was already fourteen and he was too big and mature to hang out with a newborn, but if his Aunt wanted to go the least he could do was join her.

Aunt Susan held the door open for him as he entered the hospital and he felt a wave of anxiety hit him. Hospitals reminded him of his father's lab and of sharp needles entering his skin and administering vile fluids into his veins. He shivered violently and his aunt squeezed his hand in reassurance. 

The couple wandered down the hallway and found a door with the label WALTERS-E. and entered the room. On the hospital bed sat Bruce's Aunt Elaine and Uncle Morris. Elaine was holding a lump in her arms with a light pink blanket. His Aunts caught up with each other as Bruce stared at the blanket unblinking.

"Would you like to hold Jennifer, Bruce she's very light, " Elaine asked.

Bruce shook his head no. What if he messed up and hurt his cousin? Then he’d be no better than his father, a bully who hurts everyone without cause.

"Why don't you do it, love? I'm sure everything will be alright, I'll help make sure you won't drop her." Susan coaxed.

Bruce stepped forward cautiously and Elaine lowered the baby into his arms. He wanted to make his aunts proud, but Bruce was terrified. The baby was small and incredibly light. She had a puff of dark hair that was soft to the touch. Her eyes opened briefly to reveal that they had the same shade of brown before they fluttered shut again. Bruce’s heart swelled in a way it never had before and he knew at that moment that he would protect Jennifer until his dying breath.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennifer and Bruce catch up and trouble begins to brew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW///There is a brief mentioning of vomiting in the last part of the chapter if you are sensitive to it, avoid the second paragraph that is italicized.

It was official, Bruce Banner was getting low once again. What was new? Sure the Avengers had saved the entire universe from Thanos and total annihilation, but what was the point? He’d lost the ability to move his right arm and was permanently in a sling, lost his capability to turn back into his normal human self, and most importantly lost Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark. The worst part was Nat not having a  _ funeral _ , it was downright insulting, to say the least. She deserved just as much respect as his brother in science and received  _ nothing.  _

Days passed by while he did absolutely nothing, he couldn’t force himself out of bed and definitely couldn't eat. The more he thought of his predicament the more he felt alienated and alone. Hell, Thor left him to join the Guardians off the planet, Clint officially retired to his farm, and Steve was an old man. He was by himself and nobody cared and maybe that was for the best. Maybe Brian was right, after all, maybe he was a monster undeserving of love.

After months of going through the motions, feeling like an old shell of himself he was contacted by an old acquaintance who had an offer he couldn’t refuse.

*******************

Jennifer Walters was on top of the world, she loved her job as a defense attorney. She had the ability to speak for and protect those who were innocent of wrongful imprisonment. She was a hero to the everyday people and enjoyed every second of it. She had been spared during the snap which helped fast track her degree and excelled her ability to become a reputable attorney.

Her most recent case was an interesting one about a local mobster named Trask. Her father had made the arrest and she defended a former member of Trask's gang. Trask had double-crossed the man and so he decided to take the mobster to court using evidence he had collected against Trask. Jennifer had easily defended her client and had successfully cleared the ex-mobster of any charges in exchange for information. 

As Jen pondered on the case she received a text message. She looked at her phone and was surprised to see that it was from her older cousin, Bruce.

"Hey Jen, I was wondering if you would like to hang out sometime tomorrow? I'm going to be in California then and we could catch up some,".

It was strange for Bruce to text her out of the blue and even stranger for him to come to California. Los Angeles was a crowded place and since he decided to stay in his Hulk form Bruce was much too large not to recognize or to draw attention. 

"Sure I'm off tomorrow and we can hang out at my place. Do we need to talk about something?" Jen responded. 

Instead of getting an actual reply, all her cousin sent back was a thumbs-up emoji. Weird. Jen shook it off, Bruce always was a bit strange and so she'd let it slide and ask him about it in person.

********************

Bruce chewed his bottom lip, he was supposed to meet Jen today and then leave and see his acquaintance. He hadn't seen Jennifer since after he snapped and they'd only face-timed a handful of times. She'd never seen him in person with his new build, bigger than himself and smaller than Hulk. A compromise between two people. 

When he pulled into her driveway with his specially made car he let out a huff. Maybe this was a mistake, what if she couldn't love him while he looked like this? He briefly considered reversing out of her driveway when she opened her door. 

"Robert Bruce Banner, I know you're not trying to leave me without saying hello! Get your ass out here and give me a hug!" Jen yelled.

Bruce smiled, she was just as feisty as ever. Of course, she'd still love him, she was Jen and he was Bruce. Growing a couple of feet, gaining a couple of hundred pounds, and being green wouldn't change a single thing. As he approached her, he couldn’t stop himself from breaking into a slight jog, boy did he miss her. Jen as energetic as ever jumped into his arms and he easily lifted her off the ground one-handed.

“I missed you,” Bruce whispered into her tiny ear.

“I missed you too, Brucie,” Jen replied with a big smile.

The couple went about small talk until they decided to go into a small local bar to get something to eat. Jen assured him that it was tucked away in a back alley and not very many people knew of it, so it wouldn’t be too crowded and they wouldn’t get bugged by other people. Bruce agreed to the trip and they walked three streets over to a small establishment. Bruce had to duck his massive head to enter the building and Jen let out a small laugh. 

They sat down at a small table for two after the workers boggled at the prospect of an Avenger eating at their establishment. Jen told Bruce about her most recent case and the criminal activity in the Los Angeles area. Bruce tried to listen to his cousin’s words but as the story progressed his mind slipped into what activities he would be going through the next day. 

“And I have a girlfriend now her name is Patsy. She's a red-head and she's an amazing investigator. I've thought about making my own law practice and she could be my in-house investigator. Wait a minute are you even listening to me?” Jen asked with a concerned look on her face. 

“Oh yeah- uh sorry I’m just going through a lot right now,” Bruce responded attempting to be honest.

“Are you thinking about that woman again- Natasha? I know she meant a lot to you… We can talk about it if you want to,” Jennifer responded with earnest. She needed to know he’d be okay.

“I-it’s just hard you know, she meant so much to me. We always had a thing for each other and it made me nervous. She was such a strong beautiful woman and it was the first time I’ve felt anything for anyone since Betty... “ He paused for a moment to decide if he wanted to continue his rant but decided to change directions instead. “Also yesterday I was contacted by a fellow scientist who could help me get better.”

“Wait, are you actually going to get therapy like I’ve been telling you to for the past thirty years?” Jennifer was transfixed.

“No,” Bruce continued, “Do you remember Hellen Cho? She has the technology to create and fix cell tissue with her cradle. I’m going over tomorrow to her lab to restore my arm. We aren’t sure how the cradle will react to the radiation in my blood, but there’s a chance it’ll work and I’ll be able to move my arm again.” 

“That is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard, you’re really going to try to fix your arm even if it could have serious negative side effects? You need therapy, not a botched operation,” Jennifer countered.

They’d been together for a total of twenty minutes and hadn’t even taken a single sip of their drinks. Tension sat in the air and other patrons at the bar were looking on at the pair. The couple had apparently spoken louder than they thought. 

“Look Jen, I’m going okay? I need a change in my life and I think fixing my arm could be a push in the right direction. If the procedure messes up it’s on me okay? You can even say I told you so,” Bruce offered.

Jen huffed in reply and the pair started on their drinks. Bruce caught Jen up on where each of the Avengers were and how they acted off duty. He told her stories about their past missions and team movie nights. After finishing up on a story about making tacos with Scott, the couple decided to leave the pub and made their way in the night to Jennifer’s house. An old, tinted car drove slowly around them and it made Bruce uneasy. They picked up their pace and made it to Jennifer’s house safely. What was he worried about? Nobody would pick a fight with them, he was eight-feet tall and weighed more than a car. His anxiety was acting up again, that was all there was to it.

************************

Jennifer knew something was wrong with her cousin. He was paler than his usual Hulk-self and thin. Too thin. Deliberately thin. It reminded her of when they were kids.

_ Four-year-old Jennifer loved it when Bruce would spend the night at her house. Sure he was basically an old person, but they always had fun together. They’d play with legos together and then Bruce would read her books about science, and they’d even play superheroes! She’d play as Sergeant Bucky Barnes and Bruce would be Captain America. She’d secretly always wanted to be Cap, but she knew her cousin was a big fan of his so let him be it. Bruce was a huge nerd and had Captain America comics stashed under his bed that she wasn’t supposed to know about. At the end of every one of their sleepovers, they’d watch a Disney movie and then Brucie would carry her to bed and kiss her forehead goodnight. _

_ After they’d go to bed Jen would hear strange noises coming from the guest bedroom where Bruce would sleep, almost like a puppy whimpering. Then there would be footsteps that would lead to the bathroom and choking sounds would begin. Jen would always try to open the door to help her big cousin, but he’d lock the door and tell her to go away and that he was fine. Jen believed him then even when all of the evidence pointed against him. He was basically her big brother after all, and brothers didn’t lie to their little sisters. _

Jennifer blinked for a second, bringing herself back to reality. She then did what any caring person would do and decided to make him watch an older Disney movie with her on the couch. The pair shared a king-sized fluffy blanket and she forced him to eat as much ice cream as possible in the form of a dare. 

The couple fell asleep on the couch with Jen laying back on Bruce and Bruce having his good arm wrapped around her neck in a loose embrace. Not a care in the world was held between the two. For the first time since the snap, Bruce Banner felt at home. He’d worry about his procedure when he got to it, tomorrow. 

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce visits the Cho's residence as Jennifer starts to feel uneasy.

Jennifer awoke the next morning before her cousin, she detached herself from his embrace and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. As she was mixing the pancake batter she realized that one of her windows was left slightly open. It was strange to her as she couldn’t remember raising the glass, but maybe Bruce had done it. He always ran slightly hotter than everyone else because of his condition, so there was a chance he just got hot and didn’t tell her. It wasn’t that big of a deal and she doubted anything would become of the situation. Jen kept cooking and finished the meal without much more thought, although further inspection would’ve revealed suspicious handprints on both sides of the glass. 

Bruce woke up not too long after Jen prepared his portion of the meal and the pair ate together. Jen had a single plate full of eggs and pancakes while her cousin had two plates of eggs and a plate with ten cakes stacked on top. Bruce claimed that being bigger made him eat more so Jen decided to use all her kitchen supplies to force him to bulk up.   
  


“Are you nervous about your procedure yet?” Jen asked testing the waters.

“I trust Helen so, I think I’ll be fine. She’s capable of making sure nothing too terrible happens to me so I’m not that anxious,” Bruce replied with pancakes in his mouth. 

“You know that I still love you with your battered arm right? I mean you’re a complete idiot, but I wouldn’t ever want anything bad to happen to you...” Jen started.

Bruce swallowed the pancakes, “I’d love you even if you were hurt or dying Jen, I care for you a lot kid. I’ve got to do this though, my stance hasn’t changed since last night. I’m going to see Helen further upstate after I eat. It’s just something I’ve got to do.”

The couple exchanged soft glances and then went back to eating with a peaceful air between them. After they finished eating they gave each other hugs and wished each other farewell. Jen didn’t want to admit to herself how much it stung to watch him leave. It was the first time they had truly connected in years and it made her feel like a child again. Maybe after he finished his procedure he could come back over and they could spend more time together. They could go to the library like they used to do when they were younger and spend hours reading and enjoying each other company. These thoughts made Jen smile to herself as she walked through her house to her bedroom, in the following hours she would begin to feel the eyes on her, watching her every move. 

********************************

A lot had changed in Helen Cho's life. She'd been snapped and completely dusted by Thanos. This meant all her experiments were outdated and she had to read many different studies to catch up in the world of science. Her life had also changed in the form of her family. Her husband Philip, her son Amadeus, and her daughter Maddy, had all been spared. This created a strange dynamic to their once normal family. Before she'd been dusted she was very close to her children, now the only thing they had in common was their love of science. Her kids were 5 then and needed her, now the twins were 10 and had become much more independent. She wished that she could've watched them grow.

Now wasn't the time to complain of her misfortune. Today Dr.Banner was going to come over for his procedure and she didn't want to get distracted. She'd felt terrible when she heard about his losses from the battle with Thanos, and felt that helping him with his arm would be a decent thank you. 

Helen’s children seemed indifferent to the idea of the Incredible Hulk coming over. They weren’t too fond of helping clean their mother’s lab, but they helped her tidy up the room before their large guest arrived on the promise of ice cream after supper.

******************************

Amadeus was the first person out of his chair in the living room when he heard the knock at the door. He swung the door open to see a giant green man with a confused expression on his face. 

“If you’re looking for my mom she’s downstairs in the lab. My name is Amadeus Cho, I’m ten and a half, and am going to be a scientist when I grow up,” the boy declared wanting to make a solid first impression.

“Hey! No fair, I wanted to be the one to answer the door,” came Maddy’s annoying voice from behind him. 

Maddy pushed her brother to the side to speak to Bruce, “Hi, I’m Madame Curie Cho, but you can call me Maddy,” she straightened her posture, “I’m older by the way, by two whole minutes so I’m the mature one,”.

The green man responded with a kind voice and a slight chuckle, “Hi Amadeus, hi Maddy, it’s nice to meet you guys, my name is Bruce,” 

Amadeus heard a pointed cough from behind, his mother. He was supposed to let her know when Doctor Banner arrived, oops. 

“Good morning Doctor Banner, I hope the ride over here wasn’t too strenuous,” his mother began.

“The drive wasn’t any trouble Doctor Cho, it’s nice to see that you’ve recovered from the snap,’ Bruce spoke in earnest.

“Coming back has been strange, and there have definitely been some changes, but I’m glad to be back,” Helen smiled to herself thinking about the twins.

Eventually, Amadeus and Maddy were rounded up as their mother put on a nature documentary for them to watch. They were supposed to stay upstairs as his mother took Doctor Banner to the basement where the lab was located, but that seemed to be no fun. Why did his mom get to hang out with an Avenger and he had to hang out with his boring sister? It was no fair, he sighed. 

“I don’t know about you, Maddy, but I’m going to see mom use the cradle on Hulk,” Amadeus began.

“I don’t know Ammy, mom will be mad if she catches us...But then again this is basically our only chance to experience anything like this,” Maddy finished conflicted.

Confliction was better than outright rejection the boy thought. All the pair would have to do to sneak into the lab, would be inserting his parent’s password into the door. The door would then slide open to reveal a staircase leading to the basement and then they’d be in the clear. The only problem would be not knowing the door’s passcode.

“Please Maddy, come with me and help me break into the lab. If we get caught you can blame me and I’ll do the dishes for a week,” Amadeus whined and gave his best puppy face.

“Make it two weeks on the dishes and one bag of Cheetos and you’ve got a deal,” Maddy countered with her hands on her hips.

“Fine whatever, now let’s get to spying,” the boy rolled his eyes, why did his sister always have to be so difficult. 

The door was the perfect height for their mother to use, unfortunately, that meant it was pretty hard to reach for a ten-year-old. After fighting over who got to stand on the others back, Amadeus came out on top. As he stared at the passcode input pad he realized he had absolutely no clue what his mother set the lock to. He typed in his own name, surely his mom would use something important to her as her password, but the pad glowed red and denied him.

“Do you really not know her password?” came his sister’s voice from below him. “I can’t believe you fought me to be the one to type in the code when you don’t even have it. I know what it is, switch with me so I can type it in,”.

Amadeus got off his twin’s back and knelt down. She painfully put one of her feet on his back and then added the other. He heard her fingernails touch the glass and heard the light beep of a correct password entry. She then jumped off his back like he was a diving board and he nearly fought her again.

“The password was Madame Cho by the way,” Maddy told him with a smirk that made his blood boil.

The pair quietly descended down the stairs towards the lab. Anticipation built up in Amadeus’s system with each step that they got closer. Finally, they had made it to their destination and hid behind the lab table closest to the door with their backs to the adults in the room. The boy frowned at the prospect of only being able to hear the two speak when Maddy bumped his elbow. He looked over at her to see that she had a handheld pocket mirror with her, maybe sometimes she was alright he thought.

Doctor Banner was already in the cradle and had his eyes closed, but the machine wasn’t working yet. They had timed their mission perfectly.

“I’m going to ask you one more time Doctor Banner, are you sure you’d like to go through with this? The chances of anything negative happening are low, but they’re still there,” came his mother’s voice.

“It’s okay Hellen, I’m ready for this, I can handle it,” the man responded.

Helen gave him a soft smile and started the cradle. It was quiet in the room as the machine went to work restoring the man’s arm into what it once was. The burnt and destroyed tissue and bone of the arm slowly began to reform piece by piece. The green man was breathing evenly and didn’t seem to be in any pain. Everyone in the room marveled at the beauty of the science that was occurring. 

The procedure lasted for a little over an hour and Amadeus’s back was beginning to hurt, so he was glad when Helen announced that it was complete. He looked at Maddy and realized that they had no escape plan, maybe the could come up with something on the fly while the adults spoke.

“I honestly feel great Helen, just slightly tender and tired. I feel like the old me is starting to return,” a male’s voice spoke.

“One of the cradle’s side-affects is drowsiness so I expected that much,” Helen began “You’re welcome to have dinner with us and then to take a nap before you leave, Doctor,” 

Banner agreed to stay and the twins fist-bumped each other. They’d be eating with an Avenger tonight and would get to brag to all of their friends at school. 

“Oh and kids before I forget, go wash your hands and clean up before we eat,” came Helen’s voice.

In the words of his father, Amadeus huffed to himself,  _ shit _ . He popped his head around the table after Maddy did and was met with the amused face of his mother. She pointed for them to go up the staircase and told them she’d speak to the pair later. 

Ammy and Maddy exchanged hidden smiles as they went up the stairs, they’d have to learn before they could become sneaky spies.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce spends time with the Cho family and recounts a story from his early adulthood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW/// There is some mentionings of violence in this chapter referencing both Natasha and Rebecca's deaths.

Having his arm back was a strange experience for Bruce Banner. It reminded him of a mad-scientist work from one of his old Captain America comics. As he stared at himself in the mirror he was amazed at the cradle’s skill. The arm looked just like it did before the snap, but the veins beneath were slightly darker. He stretched out the arm, it felt tender but good. He had been in his sling for six long months and was happy with the change.

There was a knock on the door and a young girl’s voice told him that it was time to eat. Bruce shrugged on a tee-shirt and left the guest bedroom and headed over to the kitchen. The table was set and the Cho’s were already seated. Maddy and Amadeus stopped their conversation as he sat down.

The twins broke into a variety of questions all at once, all pointed at Bruce. He was only able to understand bits and pieces and attempted to answer what he could make out. This included that yes, Thor really is that tall. Yes, Rocket Raccoon could talk, And his personal favorite no, he did not only eat green vegetables. His answers seemed to have satisfied them momentarily as there was silence until Amadeus asked one last question.

“Is it true that you dated the Black Widow, and that she fell off a cliff and died?”

Bruce sucked in a breath and felt his ears grow hot. Philip scolded his son for being impolite and told him to apologize. As Amadeus spoke Bruce watched his mouth move but heard nothing. All he could do was imagine Natasha’s last moments. She was on a foreign planet with just Clint for company. He wondered if she felt lonely as she fell. He wondered if she felt the crack of her spine first or the back of her skull. Bruce Banner was no stranger to women with cracked skulls, he wondered if hers made the same noise as his mother’s had on that faithful day.

“Doctor Banner, Banner-Bruce?” Helen called and Bruce snapped out of his vision.

He had cracked his drink that was in his hand and some of the glass was embedded in his hand. A single drop of his blood could cause radiation poisoning and some of it was already on the Cho’s table and dripping down his own hand in green droplets.

“I’m sorry,” he let out a huff, “Nobody touch anything and I’ll throw out everything that’s been contaminated,”

It didn’t take long for Bruce to do just that and then head to the guest room to take a nap. Today had put a strain on him and he was ready to just relax. As he laid on the bed on the verge of unconsciousness he heard another knock on his door.

“Come in,” Bruce called and the door was opened.

Amadeus stood in his doorway looking miserable. “I’m so sorry Doctor Banner, I didn’t mean to make you upset! I just wanted to know more about you and the avengers! I promise I’ll never bother you again,” the boy rushed out with hot tears in his eyes.

“Come here,” Bruce walked across the room to the child, “I know you didn’t mean to upset me. I’ve just been going through a lot lately and it struck a nerve. We’re a lot alike you know, I have a sister who drives me crazy sometimes too,”

The boy looked up at the giant man, he obviously didn’t know this and asked him for his sister’s name.

“Well we aren’t really brother and sister, but I like to think that we are,” Bruce began, “We’re actually cousins and are a good few years apart. Her name is Jennifer and she’s got a lot of spunk,”

Banner looked down to see the boy was smiling and wanting more. So Bruce sucked in a breath of fresh air and began to tell Amadeus a story.

*********************************

_A four-old Jennifer and eight-teen-year-old Bruce were in an older kitchen making cookies. Music floated in the air from an ancient radio and Jen sat on a stood to look over the counter to help her cousin. Her little legs kicked with the words of the song and it warmed Bruce’s heart._

_He personally wanted snickerdoodle but made chocolate chip instead as it was Jen’s favorite. He sang to her in an old witches voice that made her giggle infectiously. The smell of the cookies made the environment pure bliss._

_The pair sat by the house’s fireplace and Bruce read to his cousin a book as she looked out the window to watch it snow. The buzzer for the stove beeped so Bruce left to get the cookies out and told her to stay put. Jen didn’t listen, however; and came up behind him causing him to accidentally burn her with the hot pan._

_He ran her tiny finger under cool water, while she cried out. He could feel the heat behind his eyes grow as he felt shame and guilt attempt to boil to the surface. He promised his cousin as she cried into his chest that he wouldn’t hurt her again, her skin on her ring finger scarred that day._

********************************

Maddy Cho hated seeing Doctor Banner leave. He was her new friend and she wanted him to stay for longer. He was a lot of fun to be around when he wasn’t being a cranky old man she thought to herself. Her mother hugged the giant good-bye and her father waved at him.

She knew that it probably wasn’t going to work, but Maddy flung herself into his arms and asked him to stay. The green man said he had to go and see his cousin and that he would come back and visit the family another time. This made Amadeus upset and caused him to jump into the giant’s other arm, like a little baby. The man held the children for a while before setting them down and wishing them a farewell.

He would never see the Cho family whole again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was more of a filler to me as I wrote it in less than an hour, and I'm working up to something "huge" in the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy the little bit of fluff I slid in the chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennifer begins to get paranoid so Bruce comes over for a game night, then things get dicey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// Gun Violence is included at the very end of this chapter. It is nongraphic and nondescriptive, but you may want to avoid it if you are sensitive to the subject.

Jennifer Walters shouldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. She kept having the eerie feeling of eyes looking in on her and was more than a little paranoid. The reasonable part of her mind told her that nothing was wrong or out of the ordinary and that she was being ridiculous. After all, she’d been living by herself for decades now and nothing strange had occurred, but she was still unsettled. She couldn’t quite figure out what was so off-putting about her predicament and decided to text her cousin to ease her nerves. 

“You’re still coming over tonight, right? I’ll order the pizza you like and we can play Mario,”

Jen didn’t want to admit it, but the idea of him coming over was one of bliss. Surely, no one would mess with her if Bruce was around. He exerted power with his very being even if he didn’t mean to. 

“Yea I’m the way over from Helen’s, I’ll be there soon,” came his reply.

The brunette let out a sigh of relief and then scolded herself for being such a baby. She was a grown woman and could take care of herself, she didn’t need her cousin to swoop in and save her. Jen decided she’d had enough of being afraid and called the mom and pop pizza place to complete the order. She had always been fond of just plain cheese and Bruce loved mushrooms.

As Jen waited for the pizza delivery man to arrive she put on some older music and swayed to the beat. It reminded her of the dance parties her mom would have with her as a child. The two would wear silly costumes and make up the most horrendous dances imaginable. Then they would hold a contest to see who had the best moves and she would always come out on top. She missed those times when things were so much simpler.

**************************

When Bruce opened the door to Jennifer’s apartment he was greeted with the pleasant aroma of cheesy-goodness. He bent down to hug his cousin while his stomach gurgled in hunger. The two laughed as they parted and made their plates as Jen’s music continued playing softly in the background. 

“So, how did the surgery go?” Jen asked, picking up her pizza, “Obviously not too bad because here you are eating all of my pizza,”.

“The operation went well with no complications so I can’t complain,” Bruce answered with three pieces of pizza in his hand stacked together like a sandwich.

The pair ate in silence as he noticed his cousin looked uncomfortable, moving in her spot while crossing and uncrossing her legs. Something was definitely up and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

“So are you going to tell me what’s wrong or are you going to keep me guessing as to why you’re squirming?” 

Jen jerked her head up to answer, “I’m not squirming, but don’t you feel like something is off? Almost like there’s someone watching us or something ?” 

Bruce blinked, he had noticed something was off, but he doubted they had a peeping tom. However, he’d check everything in the house out for his cousin’s peace of mind.

“Here, I’ll look around the house for creeps and I’ll call you if I see anything suspicious,” he offered.

Jen shook her head no. That only could mean that she was truly more unsettled than she was letting on. He decided to get her mind off of it by reminding her that she offered to play Mario with him earlier in the day. Jen turned on her Nintendo Switch and decided to play as Mario and told Bruce he was Luigi.

Jennifer was a master at Mario Kart, she loved playing each new game of the saga and mastering the driving mechanics. She could easily drift around turns and loved to shell Bruce when he was around. Bruce always had shaky hands and was easy to pass, it took her hardly any time to lap him. 

“Are you cheating or something? There’s no way you just lapped me without some aid or something,” Bruce huffed.

Jen laughed, “So you’re implying that I’m not good enough to beat you without help? I’m a  _ master  _ at this, just admit that I’m better than you,”.

Jen crossed the finish line with a triumphant smile on her face, she once again won first place. She looked over at her cousin’s screen to see his low ranking. 

“Before you say anything, I’m rusty and this proves nothing,” came Bruce’s voice.

After they finished a few more rounds of Mario Kart with Jen beating Bruce at every round, they decided to take a walk to look at the stars. Jennifer always believed that the sky held many secrets that were unlocked at night in the form of stars. Bruce brought a blanket for them to relax on and Jen held the pillows.

As they walked from Jennifer’s home they spoke about little nothings. What books they were currently reading, what their favorite movies were, and what food they enjoyed making the most. As they reached a flat area in the form of a park a couple of blocks away from the house, they laid out the blanket and pillows. 

The pair sat down and it became apparent that Bruce was much larger than the blanket they had chosen. The couple laughed and leaned back to get a view of the stars. 

“I have a telescope at the tower that we could’ve used,” Bruce said.

“That would’ve been nice to have, but I think we’re going to be okay without it. The stars are shining bright enough tonight,” Jen replied.

Jennifer remembered when she was younger and her cousin wanted to be an astrologist. When she asked him why he didn’t want to be an astronaut instead he just shrugged. He told her that he just wasn’t cut out for a life of adventure. They were both naive then.

“Why did you leave me?” the question came out of Jennifer’s mouth before she even knew what she was asking.

“Come again?” Bruce questioned.

“Why did you leave me when you became the Hulk? We were friends before and then you completely left my life for years. No call, no text, you were just gone. I had to learn what happened to you by the news, and the news was calling you a  _ terrorist.  _ They said you were a menace, a  _ monster,  _ but I knew better than to believe them. I love you, Bruce, you’re my favorite cousin, why did you leave me?” Jen’s question sat heavy in the air.

“I wanted to protect you, Jen. You mean a lot to me kid, I knew if I even tried to contact you someone would come after you, Ross would send a small army to collect you to try to get to me. I don’t want to be the reason why you get hurt, ever. I’d stay away from you again if it came down to your safety,” Bruce responded.

That wasn’t what Jen wanted or expected to hear at all. She wanted to hear him say sorry for cutting off contact with her. She wanted him to feel deep remorse. Instead, he told her he wasn’t against putting her in the situation again. It pissed her off. Jen stood up and began to walk away from her cousin. 

“Jen, Jen please come back. I just want you to be safe and happy, please come back and watch the stars with me,” Bruce called out to her but she kept moving.

"I don't need you to protect me! I'm not a little kid anymore!" Jen called back not even bothering to face her cousin.

Jen kept walking away and made a considerable distance away from Bruce before he began to follow after her. She was nearly a football field in front of her cousin when she saw the car from the other night come towards them. She heard a loud bang before she felt a blindingly hot pain in her mid-back. She fell as she heard loud footsteps quickly approach her.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, if you are reading this then I am sorry about me not updating this fic regularly during this month. I have had a terrible time from mid-October till very recently. My puppy became ill and I was taking care of him almost at all times until he passed away. This chapter is longer to make-up for all the lost time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce makes a life-changing decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is in honor of the casting of Tatiana Maslany for the She-Hulk TV show. Also Happy Birthday Bruce Banner!

Bruce could quite wrap his mind around what was happening. He and his cousin were having a great time together, they had laughed together not even two whole minutes ago. But here he was, holding Jen’s bloody body. She had been shot through her back and fell in front of him. She was so tiny in his arms, it reminded him of the day that they met. He was so young then and naive, a lot had changed since then. He had promised to protect her then. He had failed. Her eyes were glassy and half-lidded. Her breaths came in short pants.

He cradled her head and brought her to his chest, she let out a long and sharp whine. He was going to bring her to some type of hospital, they were on the sidewalk close to the exit of the park, the car had not been too far away on the main road. If Bruce ever saw the car or the driver he would kill them without question. 

Bruce began his journey trying to move as quickly as possible without hurting Jen. He came across a large multi-story hospital and ripped off the door in an attempt to get inside. Everyone in the waiting room stared at him in his bloody clothes, wild demeanor, and green skin. 

“Put her in urgent care,” Bruce tilted his chin towards his cousin, but nobody moved.

Bruce slightly stopped one leg and the building gave a tiny shake, “Now!”

*************************************************  
The room they gave Jennifer was tiny, but quite. Bruce sat listening to his cousin’s heart monitor. He was on the edge of his seat, and nearly seized every single time her heart was in between beats. He was never going to see her ever again after this. He had put her at risk by being around her for just a short period of time. Someone had probably been meaning to hurt him and instead decided to hurt what he loved, who he loved.

Her blood covered his arms and chest and his shoes left bloody traces of footsteps. He attempted to wash the blood off eariler in her small ensuite bathroom,but he still felt the reminants of the warm fluids. He doubted his hands would ever feel clean again.

Seeing the IV drip fluids into her made him sick. He had always hated needles after he became his dad’s human guinea pig. He remembered Brian telling him how it would make him grow up to be big and strong. Brian telling him he was a sick freak that deserved to die, just a normal father and son type of interaction for the duo. And now Jennifer was being held on by a feather due to a needle in her arm. It wasn’t nearly enough, however, she needed more than just an IV. Jennifer needed a blood transfusion from a suitable donor.

Bruce knew he was a suitable donator for his cousin, but he thought about who else would’ve been better for the role. Jen’s mother died many years ago from a terminal illness, she had no siblings, her father was out on duty in another town, and she had no close cousins besides those who lived states away. The longer he waited the more grave her situation would become, she needed blood now. Bruce began to roll up his sleeve. He would hate himself forever if she died tonight in front of him in the confines of the drab gray hospital room. He continued his sleeve rolling. He would also hate himself if he cursed her with his condition. To become a mindless creature of rage that can’t tell friend from foe. Someone who hurts everyone that they love because they don’t remember in the heat of the moment who they are. He stopped rolling up his sleeve.

Bruce grabbed a rubber band that a nurse left in the room while she went to get a more experienced medical professional. He tightened the band around his good arm, the one that didn’t go through the misery of the snap, and began to ball his hand into a fist and gave a few tight squeezes. His veins in his arm began to bulge. He was going to do it consequences be damned. Bruce Banner was going to give his gamma-irradiated blood to his younger cousin, Jennifer Walters in an attempt to save her life.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennifer transforms for the first time in a dire situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some violence in this chapter and nondescriptive character death, so if you are sensitive to these topics please keep this in mind.

The man could still feel his adrenaline pumping as he left his car and entered the warehouse. His breaths came in short puffs, he couldn’t believe what he had become. He was no novice in the art of killing, but he had never murdered an innocent person before. Shooting the short woman in the park would forever haunt him. Maybe the tall man had saved her in time and took her to a hospital, who knows.

The man tried to justify his actions as he was let into the warehouse by a pair of guards in matching black suits. The man himself also wore the same suit with the same blue patterned tie. The man thought of himself as more attractive than the guards as he had fluffy blonde hair and deep brown eyes.

“I’m here to speak to Trask, about my mission,” the man told the guards as he flashed them his tie and was allowed in the building.

The warehouse was emptier than normal as other members of the mob were out on other missions, tonight was an important night after all. There were about 300 members in the gang all with various criminal records. Nicolas Trask had the longest record of them all and was as cruel as you could find so he quickly received the title of Crimelord.

Trask sat in the middle of the open room on his “throne”. The throne was just a chair with gold spray paint with the word “boss” on the back of it, no one was allowed to sit in the chair but him. Nick was nearly six and a half feet tall and weighed an impressive amount as he was the strong, bulky type. He had black hair and even darker eyes than the man.

“It’s done,” the blonde spoke in false certainty.

“Good. So you can confirm that the target is dead?” Trask asked.

“ I shot Walters through the back, I saw her fall and crumble to the ground. With my precision, she would’ve bled to death not even half an hour after the wound had been inflicted. There was no way she would be able to get up to receive help,” the man finished leaving out the part about the tall strong man.

“Here is your payment,” Trask mentioned for one of the members to had the man a paper bag filled with cash, “Well done soldier,” Trask waved the man away.

The crime lord waited until the blonde left and waved for his second in command to come see him.

“I want you to make sure the target is dead, Walters has a case against us and I don’t want there to be any chance we get busted. Follow Blondie to his car and make him talk, see if Walters actually died. If he lied you finish the job, understand?” Trask asked.

Number Two nodded and then carefully trailed the blonde man. He would get the truth and would go about any means to uncover it. He had a true gift in the form of intense integration, he liked watching his victims squirm. Tonight was going to be a good night he thought and he grabbed the blonde in a chokehold from behind.

********************************

Number Two was not shocked at all when he discovered the blonde hadn’t told Trask the whole truth. Apparently, there was a tall man some distance away that had seen the ordeal go down and could’ve possibly taken the target to a nearby hospital. This was bad news, but the idea of having a manhunt made Two smile.

Two took down the blonde man with a bullet to the head. The man didn’t even have time to object to his death before he was gone. Two removed the man’s tie before leaving his personal integration room. He would now go undercover and find Walters, starting with the closest hospitals from the park and working his way out of the area. His gun would finish the job and he’d make the boss proud.

*******************************  
Watching his tainted blood flow out of him and go into his cousin’s veins was not Bruce’s idea of a fun night. Jennifer’s pale skin started to pick up some pigment and he counted that as a win. A routine transfusion generally takes from one to four hours depending on the amount of blood needed. With Bruce’s enlarged veins more was able to come out at a much quicker pace.

After about an hour Bruce unattached the narrow tube from his arm and sat back down on his chair. His head was spinning and he felt slightly nauseous, he could only imagine how Jen felt.

After bracing his head in his hands to try to stop the room from spinning he forced himself to stand up. He never got sick ever since his transformation, but he was really feeling light-headed. He kissed Jen lightly on the forehead and went into the bathroom. It was tiny and he was barely able to shut the door behind him. He sat on the floor on his knees and started to dry heave to no avail.

Bruce was able to hear the click of the door to the room opening. He looked under the door to see the shadow of a figure by his cousin’s bed. He stood up slowly believing the figure to be the nurse returning to care for her.

“Wh-who are you? Are you my nurse?” came Jennifer’s hoarse voice.

“Not quite, love” a deep male voice responded with an edge in his tone.

That was all Bruce needed to hear to get suspicious. He opened the door as he saw the man take a gun out of a holster on his hip. Jen reached out at the gun with a powerful roar and her body began to ripple and change. Her muscles grew and her height increased, her skin became a truer green than that of Bruce’s. It was as if Bruce was looking at a female version of his Hulk-self just with less muscle mass and slightly shorter.

Bruce had a feeling that the night was about to get a lot more chaotic.

*****************************  
The woman in red stepped out of her stolen Dimensional Apparatus. It was obvious that her course through time and space had been altered as she looked around where she had landed. She was definitely not in the United Sisterhood Republic.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennifer recalls what happened the night before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW://// There's both gun and physical violence in this chapter.

In a flash, Jennifer was out of her hospital bed and had completely crushed the gun. The man tried to escape and the green giantess grabbed the man jerking his body with her newfound power. Bruce rushed over to get the man out of her grip, but he was too late as Jennifer threw the man out of the hospital window.

“Jennifer! Oh my God! Um do you know who I am?” Bruce asked.

Jennifer turned around to face her cousin and huffed in his face.

“Okay I’ll take that as a no, do you know who you are?” Bruce tried again.

Jen seemed to have calmed down some after seeing his cool demeanor and shook her head no. A piece of her curly hair came to the front of her face and she grabbed at it. Green hands gripped the strand and she became fascinated with the emerald color of them. She was like a child discovering their extremities for the first time, it was almost endearing. She then looked at herself in a mirror hanging on the wall and jumped back startled, the hospital gave a little shake. She jerked her head at her cousin and noticed that they favored each other and gave him a hug as she collapsed and shrunk into her human form.

To say that he was stunned was an understatement. Banner had no idea what to do from here, blood rushed to his ears. Jen had become a hulk, holy shit Jen had become a  _ hulk.  _ She threw a grown man out of a building with  _ ease.  _ He had never expected his life to go this way but there he was. Bruce did the only thing he could think of doing and went to the corner of the room and destroyed the camera. He then grabbed Jen and broke through the already broken window and landed by the body of the man. He stole the man's outfit and quickly dressed Jennifer in an alleyway as her clothes had been destroyed in her transformation.

Jennifer was held as close to his chest as possible as Bruce attempted to shield her face from anyone who possibly viewed them. They would most likely have to go on the run after this night of hell, for who knows how long. He had to go into hiding for five years after his initial transformation and then three years after the Johannesburg incident. 

Bruce wondered how he would explain to her that she had killed a man. Maybe he’d tell her that he was the one responsible for his death. Or maybe she’d remember bits and pieces of the night and she wouldn’t believe him. Maybe she wouldn’t remember any of it. Maybe it was just a one-time thing. Maybe tonight was a nightmare.  _ Maybe… _

*******************************

Jennifer had the strangest dream of her life she thought as she woke up from a deep slumber. She looked around to discover that she wasn’t in her bed and she definitely wasn’t in her room. She wrapped her arms around herself only to discover that she wasn’t even wearing her clothes, she was wearing the ugliest suit she had ever seen and it wasn’t even her size. She felt like she had a hangover so maybe she got drunk and ended up in someone else’s room? 

Jennifer left the bed and realized she was fatigued. She felt as if she’d climbed the world’s tallest staircase and then decided to roll on the stairs to get down. She went down a hallway and heard her cousin’s voice.

“I don’t know what to do, things were so much more simple when you guys were around before Thanos. I miss when Loki’s dramatic ass was all we had to deal with,” he was holding a bent photo that Jen could only guess contained the Avengers together.

Jennifer cleared her throat to let him know she was present. 

“Where are we and why are we here?” she asked.

“We’re in an Airbnb in Northern Arizona. I paid in cash so we can’t be tracked and we’ll move on to a different state later this week. What do you remember about last night?” It was Bruce’s turn to ask questions.

“I remember everything, I remember a man with blonde hair and brown eyes tried to shoot me. I remember that I felt so scared that he was going to kill me that I retaliated. I became bigger, taller, and stronger and bent the gun with ease. I grabbed the man and before I knew what I was going I threw him out of the room. I looked in the mirror and I looked like you. A Hulk. A She-Hulk.” she didn’t know when she had begun to cry but she was sobbing by the time she was finished.

Bruce walked over and picked her up and held her in his arms. 

“I don’t know how you remember everything, but it’ll be alright. We’ll just hide for a little bit until everything all blows over and then everything will go back to normal. Who knows maybe this was a one-time thing for you, it may not be permanent. And if it is permanent I’ll teach you to control yourself better, how does that sound?” he attempted to calm her.

Jen knew that whatever had happened would happen again somewhere deep down inside herself, but she merely shook her head yes. What would happen to her career? What about her girlfriend. Patsy? Would she think she was missing? What about that man, was he really dead? Was she a killer? She didn’t mean to kill the man, but she didn’t know her strength and she felt her anger grow more intense than she had before. She never wanted to kill anyone.

“Did you know the man with the gun?” Bruce asked.

“No I’ve never seen him before in my life, with my career there are many people who would want to hurt me,” Jennifer answered. 

“I thought perhaps that the shooter got you in the park to try to hurt me emotionally, but after the man came to get you in the hospital I know that I was wrong,” Bruce sighed, “Whoever it was only sent one guy in and if he knew I was there he would’ve sent in an army. Whoever it is has a whole squadron on their side since there’s a possibility that there were two different people that we encountered,” 

Jennifer frowned at that, the idea that there may be a whole group wanting to take her out. She sat down in one of the two old armchairs in the main living room and her cousin followed suit. She needed to figure out who was after her, but her exhaustion from the night before sat in and she began to doze.

  
  
  
  
  



	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Secretary of State meets an extra-terrestrial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gave Thaddeus a potty-mouth because it felt right. Also, I'm going to try to post another chapter later this month, if I'm not overly busy with school and my work.

Today was a gift from Hell Thaddeus mused. First, he received a call from the State of California about a big-green problem. It however was a different nature than what he had assumed, there seemed to have been a female hulk spotted in a hospital near Los Angles. That news in itself was enough trouble, when he found out an alien had landed near the same area the same night he nearly threw a tantrum.

Thaddeus Ross had been snapped and dusted for five years and when he blipped back he found out his savior had been the one person he hated with all his being. Bruce fucking Banner. He has decided he would let the fugitive live his life in peace as a thank you after all his daughter had been revived by his snap as well. He had chased Banner for nearly a decade and if his sources were correct he would have to resume the hunt again, but this time he'd have to catch two of them.

A female hulk was a new idea and he had no clue what he was dealing with. Would she be a creature of rage with endless anger like Hulk? Or would she be a new creature altogether? And how the hell would he catch two Hulks when he couldn’t even catch one? He was a general then but his rank had been promoted to Secretary so he had new powers he’d yet to exercise.

His men had been sent to collect the alien woman and it was a larger challenge than he had imagined. The woman in red stood at just above seven-foot and was way stronger than the average human, she attempted to use a chain on his men and took a good number of them out before she was hit with a tranquilizer in the back of her neck. 

He had no idea if she was hostile or not but he found it better to attack first. Questions were for pansy’s after all. She was in a glass detention room that was created for the Hulk, for the time being, she would be questioned when she awoke. 

*******************************************

The woman in red was not at all impressed by the wrinkly old man questioning her from outside the glass. He had an ugly mustache and reminded her of the smell of mayonnaise. 

“I’ll try this again, what is your name and where are you from,” he demanded.

“You don’t get to know my name, filthy man,” she spat back.

The man seemed to be losing his patience as he stood up and put his hands in his pockets.

“Let’s be honest here, I know you’re not from around here and I know you probably want to get back home. So how about you answer my questions so I know I can trust you and then maybe we can make a deal to get you back home,” mustache spoke.

“Fine, I’ll tell you my name, it's Thundra, of the United Sisterhood republic,” she knew her name would strike fear in the man's heart.

“Thundra, huh? An interesting name to say the least and it sounds like you’re from a different planet or something,” the man responded.

“It’s actually more complex than that, I could also be from a different point in time or reality. My dimensional apparatus can take me anywhere at any time. It’s more than a time machine, it’s much more complex. Do you believe you could fix it?” Thundra questioned.

“This is planet earth in the twenty-first century, I don’t know anything about realities or dimensions or any of that fancy shit. I couldn’t fix it, but I have many people under my jurisdiction that have bright minds that could. I just need more information from you, so answer my questions fully. Why are you here?” the man paced.

“I’ll tell you as much about myself as needed. I’m here because my apparatus crashed here by itself, I would never come to this shit show on purpose. I’m from Earth but dimension 715 which makes me from the twenty-third century. In my homeland men are only used as entertainment and as slaves, we used to use them as breeding stock until we realized we could use science to do the job. Do you have any questions?” Thundra raised an eyebrow.

“So you’re from a future where women rule over men? How the hell do you have children without men anyways? And why are you so fucking tall?” Thaddeus wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth but her story was captivating.

“We have children using artificial wombs in labs. There have been no natural births in well over a hundred years. I’m so ‘fucking tall’ because I’m genetically engineered to be this way, a fierce warrior and skilled in many forms of combat,” Thundra explained.

“That’s all I can think to ask right now, I’ve had a hell of a day today. I’ll see you in the morning for more questioning. If you show any signs of aggression I’ll put you in the RAFT where all of the other baddies go. You’ll have one hell of a time trying to escape there, it’s completely submerged and heavily guarded,” Thaddeus left the woman’s presence. 

************************************

Jennifer awoke with a slight jump. She had sweat heading down her hairline from her night terror, she wiped the droplets away with the tie that was attached to her neck. She loosened the tie and then took it off to get more air to calm her nerves. She steadied herself and looked over the pattern of the tie. 

The tie had the most familiar pattern as if she’d seen it many times before. Maybe another lawyer from her firm had it? She didn’t think so but something about it put her on edge, like the very being of the article was wrong. 

“Oh shit! Bruce Banner, get your ass over here. I know who’s after me!”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jennifer and Bruce start hatching a plan, while Ross begins assembling a team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to catch everyone up on the events from The Incredible Hulk (2008) as I know most people are not fans of that movie. (I'm not either) so I hope this chapter isn't too boring, but I felt like it was necessary to keep the story moving forward.

“What do you notice about this tie?” Jennifer questioned her older cousin.

“It’s a….tie? I don’t understand how this has anything to do with our current situation,” Bruce puzzled.

“Look at its pattern,” Jen waved the fabric upwards towards his face, “This tie is apart of the uniform worn by the men in Trask’s gang. He’s the ganglord I told you about the other night. He must be the one behind the attack,” she concluded.

Her accusation made sense. If she was facing against him in court it wasn’t outlandish to believe he would hire someone to take her out. The person who shot her had to be experienced, but the information they had must’ve been wrong. After all, who would shoot the family member of an avenger when the said family member was visiting. This meant whoever was behind the attack didn’t have his complete file and wasn’t apart of a prestigious organization. 

“We have to bust them, Bruce” Jennifer pleaded.

“ _We_? There is no _we_ , I’m going to find Trask myself. You don’t know how to control yourself and I’m sure as hell not going to let you get in a position where you may get hurt. I’ve seen you bleed enough,” Bruce rebutted.

“I’m coming with you, Trask is after ME. I want to make sure he never goes after anyone else. I need this Brucie Bear,” Jen was not below using childhood nicknames to get what she wanted.

_ “Fine- _ but you’ll have to train first and you have to do exactly what I say _ ,”  _ Banner huffed out, not happy about the situation, but a softy for the term of endearment.

Jennifer was pleased with her cousin’s response. She had a plan to break into her law office to get some papers with the statements of the man she was defending against Trask. She could then give the information to Bruce and then they could figure out how to find Trask and hopefully take him out. 

********************************************************************************

“You know this isn’t technically illegal right? Breaking into something implies that you’re doing something you're not supposed to. Having a key and using it is perfectly normal,” Bruce stated casually as Jennifer put her key in the door to her law office. 

The pair had waited until it was dark to enter Jennifer’s place of work. Bruce walked away from the building after Jennifer opened the door to make the interaction seem less suspicious. A big green man drew eyes no matter what situation he was in and he didn’t want any extra eyes on them. 

Jennifer found the papers quite easily as she had them stowed away in a secret drawer that held the files of her most recent cases. She read the papers over to make sure she had the correct ones before laying the papers down on the copier and getting a spare copy to take with her. 

Walters was out of the building in no time, she felt like she was on an Avenger level mission. She hoped one day that she’d meet the team, that would be a great story to tell Patsy. The thought of the other woman made Jen smile. 

*******************************************************************

Thaddeus Ross stood in front of a panel of highly powered US officials. He wore a pressed suit and had a ridged stance. 

“My goal is to detain the new Hulk and the original Hulk. I want to learn how the newer one came to be and what its goal is. What I am asking from you is permission to assemble a team capable of capturing the creature and its larger green friend. As you can imagine catching one Hulk is hard, two is nearly impossible without some extra help,” Ross began.

“And who would this so-called team be made of,” a woman in a sharp pantsuit questioned.

Thaddeus knew this would be the tough part of his speech. The people he had chosen were not by any means good. He had a portable suitcase with a tiny projector built-in that had a presentation he had made for this exact moment to persuade his viewers to see things his way. He set everything up and sucked in a long breath before he began.

“The individuals I have chosen are Emil Blonsky and Samuel Sterns,” the room erupted in a chaos of words so Ross hit play on his presentation and turned the volume completely up.

The first slide had a young Emil Blonsky, and had a few bullet points on his early life. Ross’s voice told the story of the boy being born in Russia and then raised in England. The presentation continued with Ross explaining how Blonksy had gained many medals and honors and even was a member of the British Armed Forces, Royal Marines. Then he explained how he had hired Emil previously to help capture Banner, but he became superpowered instead. Blonsky himself had become a gamma mutated monster called the Abomination in an attempt to overpower Banner, but failed and instead went power-hungry. The slide then ended with a picture of Ross with a beer in one hand and a gun in the other looking badass-if he did say so himself. 

“So this guy failed and went crazy with power and you expect us to let you recruit him? Where the hell is he anyway, someone like him needs to be watched heavily,” a man in a gray tux questioned.

“Oh trust me he is,” Ross removed a remote from his suit and clicked a button that made a different video pop up on his projector, “This is live footage from Blonsky’s RAFT cell. As you can see he is still in his large, green, Abomination form because he can’t retract into his human form. He is much calmer now,” Ross explained.

Before anyone could ask any extra question Thaddeus clicked on the remote button again, causing another presentation to pop up. This one was for Samuel Sterns 

The video highlighted the fact that Sterns was an intelligent man who was a college professor and cellular biologist. He knew Banner, and had attempted to help him get rid of the Hulk, but instead, he was forced to transform Emil Blonsky into the Abomination. Sterns was a good man who wanted to rid humanity of monsters, but instead was forced to create more. After he suffered a head injury that was contaminated with gamma radiation he too became a gamma mutate.

“He actually seems like a reasonable member for your so-called team. So, what’s wrong with him?” the pantsuit lady inquired.

“Sterns is now enhanced with quite honestly the smartest mind on Earth. He is far more intelligent than you or me and perhaps even Banner. He certainly could help me catch the two Hulks. He also has green skin and a giant head for his massive brain in case you were wondering,” Thaddeus finished leaving out all the shady parts about Sterns. 

Thaddeus then caught his audience up on how Sterns had been apprehended after his exposer to the radiation by the Black Widow and was currently in the RAFT as well. When he stopped explaining everything all of the officials resumed bombarding him with questions.

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
